Park University

Al Mohannad Ali, a freshman petroleum engineering major from Saudi Arabia at Texas Tech University, knows how tough it is to be a Saudi Arabian student in Texas in the era of Osama bin Laden.

“We are from a different culture, so you can expect us to be different,” said Ali, president of the university’s Saudi Student Association. “It doesn’t mean we’re dangerous (or that) we’re bad people.”

But a lot of Americans think it does. And the level of suspicion grew even more after the Feb. 23 arrest of a Saudi student in Lubbock, Texas, Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari.

Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., has introduced legislation that aims to end student visa program abuse by potential terrorists by significantly tightening reporting requirements for students and universities alike. Teaming up with Bilirakis are two Texas Republicans, Reps. Ted Poe and Michael McCaul.